Album Review: Lacuna Coil - Broken Crown Halo

Although recognisable as the band responsible for Comalies and In A Reverie's Gothic grandeur, this places such glories as seeming like another lifetime ago for Italy's chart–bothering hard rockers. A slick, carefully-honed but overly familiar approach contains electronic trimmings and trademark male/female vocal trade-offs. Even charismatic Cristina Scabbia struggles to compensate for pedestrian songwriting a la Korn-inspired Die And Rise, but her harmonies shine on Zombies, while attacking Hostage To The Light and One Cold Day (tribute to a fallen ex-bandmate) with gusto. Lacuna Coil aren't challenging their audience nowadays.